AZ GITA Telecommunications

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Telecommunications

Arizona Broadband

Federal Broadband Grant Program

The U.S. Congress has appropriated $7.2 billion to develop broadband in the U.S. for unserved and underserved areas.

Broadband grants are being awarded by two federal agencies: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Services (RUS) Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) ($2.5 billion); and the NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) ($4.7 billion).

This funding includes grants for broadband infrastructure, computer centers, sustainable projects that promote broadband use; and grants to the states for broadband planning and for mapping broadband in their respective states to use in the creation a national broadband map.

GITA Receives Broadband Mapping and Planning Federal Grant

Arizona has received a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The funding comes in two grants which will be managed by Arizona's Government Information Technology Agency (GITA).

The first grant is for approximately $1.8 million over a two-year period for broadband data collection and mapping activities. The second grant is for approximately $500,000 over a three-year period for the purpose of broadband planning and determining future broadband needs.

The broadband mapping project will collect and verify the availability, speed and location of broadband across Arizona. This information will be publicly available; updated on a semi-annual basis through 2011. Citizens, local governments, and related research organizations will enjoy a direct benefit from access to this new and additional information.

First Round Arizona Broadband Grants Being Awarded

The first round of grant funding announcements are in progress and expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2010.

A grant for the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records Division for $1.3 million was awarded and will provide more than 1,000 computers to 84 libraries throughout the state of Arizona. This grant allows Arizona's libraries to extend their reach to more than 450,000 previously underserved citizens of Arizona.

The Tohono O'odham Utility Authority (TOUA) has been selected to receive a $3.6 million loan and a $3.6 million grant to design, engineer and construct a digital network to replace dial-up service. This project will provide services throughout the Tohono O'odham Reservation using Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and fixed wireless broadband.

The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) has been awarded an approximately $32.2 million federal grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). This grant along with partial matching funds, will provide middle mile and last mile broadband infrastructure access to the Navajo Nation.

The Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) has been awarded a federal grant through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) that will provide a total of 75 computers to three community centers in Phoenix, Arizona. This a multi-state grant award with approximately $500,000 going to Arizona for this project. Chicanos por la Causa will implement this portion of the grant in Arizona for MEDA.

The locations of the three centers are:

Carl Hayden Community Center (25 computers) located at 3216 East Van Buren;
Chicanos por la Causa Commerce Plaza Community Center (30 computers) located at 1008 East Buckeye Road, and
Chicanos por la Causa Workforce Development Center (20 computers) located at 3150 North 35th Avenue.

This project is designed to address Latino unemployment through microenterprise development leading to job creation. The use of these computers will be multi-functional. Entrepreneurs who wish to start businesses will be provided with the information, advice and technological access to the internet to start their enterprises.

Second Round Arizona Broadband Grants Being Awarded

The State of Arizona has been awarded a $1,646,936 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to fund 200 Virtual Workforce Workstations and 28 Arizona Job Help Hubs for education and career training in public library locations throughout the state.

The San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility, Inc. (SCATUI) has been awarded a $10.5 million grant/loan that will provide fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) service to the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. Over 6,000 people, 20 businesses, and 50 community institutions including emergency service personnel, a hospital and facilities that are currently unserved stand to benefit.

Hopi Telecommunications Inc. (HTI) has been awarded a $3.6 million grant/loan that will connect Jeddito, Arizona with existing broadband infrastructure more than 60 miles away. In addition, HTI will connect currently unserved residents of Jeddito and Spider Mound. Over 7,000 individuals stand to benefit, as do dozens of businesses and more than 20 community institutions.

The Arizona Telephone Company has been awarded a $4 million USDA grant to fund broadband expansion projects in three rural areas of Arizona. These areas include: The greater town of Sasabe area on the border, the area between I-10 and I-8 west of Phoenix and east of the Kofa Mountain Range; and the greater Mormon Lake area southeast of Flagstaff towards Payson. This grant funding will bring high-speed DSL broadband service to unserved establishments within its rural service territory, which is comparable to the DSL service provided in its more populated areas. This project stands to benefit approximately 1,325 people, and 54 businesses and estimates that this project will directly create more than 100 jobs upfront and help drive economic development in these communities.

The Tohono O’Odham Utility Authority has been awarded a second round USDA broadband grant for $10,307,000 that serves as a last mile infrastructure project that compliments the tribe’s first round USDA middle mile infrastructure grant award of $3,565,900 in grant money and $3,565,900 in loan funds. This project stands to benefit approximately 6,500 people, 1,300 businesses, and 60 other community institutions.

Arizona Broadband Advisory Committee

Governors have been asked by the NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) to provide advice and suggested priorities for broadband grant applications in their respective state. Approximately 107 grant requests were received for Arizona in the first round of funding.

In response, the Arizona Broadband Advisory Committee (ABAC) was formed to provide expertise and advice to the Governor's office on broadband grant applications. ABAC consists of a representative from ten different state agencies with the Government Information Technology Agency (GITA) serving as the lead agency and its Director and State CIO Chad Kirkpatrick serving as chairman.

Governor Jan Brewer considered the information and advice of ABAC before forwarding her final recommendations to the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

For further information see: www.broadbandusa.gov.

Telecommunications Leadership

GITA provides strategic oversight and leadership to develop advanced telecommunications (Broadband) service and infrastructure throughout Arizona. Major goals of the telecommunications program include:

Establish and coordinate statewide telecommunications policy.
Bring together public and private entities to address shared telecommunications interests.
Assist the planning for public and private telecommunications systems.
Study, evaluate and advise state agencies, the legislature, institutions of higher education, tribes and local governments on matters of telecommunications policy, including services and systems, and telecommunications procurement practices.
Coordinate telecommunications grant requests to the federal government.
Participate in national discussions about telecommunications infrastructure and issues and coordinate public and private sector conversations and plans concerning innovative telecommunications projects, programs and demonstrations.
Advocate economic development issues relating to telecommunications.

Rural broadband development

GITA has been involved in several initiatives to encourage the development of telecommunication infrastructure in rural areas of the State. In these partnerships, GITA utilizes the award winning Telecommunication Open Partnership of Arizona (TOPAZ) to guide agency interactions in telecommunication projects throughout the State. TOPAZ encourages State and local government organizations to actively partner with, and be the anchor tenant for, private sector broadband infrastructure build-out projects.

Communications Infrastructure Advisory Committee (CIAC)

GITA provides staffing support and strategic direction to the Arizona Communications Infrastructure Advisory Committee. This Public/Private committee is part of the Governor’s Council on Innovation and Technology (GCIT). The CIAC focuses on the issues related to the ubiquitous deployment of Broadband capability to all of Arizona. Key issues include Middle Mile, Last Mile, Right-of-Way and definition funding solutions. Current efforts are concentrated on Rural Arizona along with other deficit areas in both Urban and Rural settings.

Arizona GIS Broadband Survey

GITA’s intent for this Broadband Assessment Geographic Information System (GIS) Study - completed January 2009, is as a Phase1 step toward a full GIS Survey of Arizona’s broadband infrastructure. A completed Survey will provide Arizona’s decision makers details about Broadband capacities and deficits areas across Arizona’s landscape, leading to better decisions about broadband deployment, economic development, the digital delivery of education, health care and government services, statewide.

In the Information Age, knowing the availability or deficits of Broadband infrastructure in a particular area is critical for decisions about quality of life for that area. We believe the Study to be the most current view of what is happening nationally regarding implementation strategies for Broadband surveys, and general Broadband policies in the States. It is our hope that others can benefit from this Study and thereby move closer to the goal of ubiquitous Broadband availability.

Web Links

Last updated: 07/11/2010

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